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Education occurs when learning occurs. Social media can be used as tool to expand educational needs for whom to retrieve knowledge and useful ways for the needs of communication. In our modern society, digitalization is being more friendly and convenient. Searching up useful knowledge no longer require going through books and chapters while can all be searched on the internet. Social media is a useful and common source of finding and expanding knowledge. While classrooms are fixed to the knowledge within a specific guideline, social media allows one to explore and pursue the knowledge that whom is willing to learn, or to know more about it. I believe that PLN can be a good source of engagement in learning and education, finding new interests, which can be a useful open book.

I believe that there are many great experiences and learning that can only be achieved by learning from each other. Community communications can help us develop by opening up the window for development between PLN. Your thoughts and ideas can be inspirational for others, while others can inspire you with their personal expertise.

PLN helps people improve themselves from learning from each other, therefore it raises the awareness of opportunities as the network adapts and grows. Despite having social media as a tool for PLN or other educational purposes, it can be a false trend for learning the wrong materials. Depending on the source of accreditation, if ones opinion or knowledge is misleading or misread, it can be harmful for the person that is acknowledging and absorbing the material. The problem with social media is that it is too easy to access information, and it sometimes can be misleading.

Consider how you would curate your social media with a critical public audience.

When there is a specific audience, it is essential to personalize it to their liking and the situtational context. For example, if I knew that my audience would be my potential employer, I would curate my social media so that it exemplifies the attributes and values that their organization holds. For example, I would post about my work and achievements, healthy activities such as hiking and gold, trying new things, making motivational posts. On the other hand, if it were for an important official, I would definitely use more formal words, supportive posts, and overall more respect and censorship in my social media.

Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – what are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

I think this is something we see a lot in public. For famous persons, especially those who hold power in the country and world, everything that the public figure posts and does is in the public eye. Hence, when they hold important influence towards the public, it is crucial that they are, or deemed as, positive, trustworthy, credible, and professional. For these individuals, the risks of engaging with a public audience is that they are constantly under the public eye and most cannot afford to make mistakes. For example, for a lawyer or government official, if they were caught doing something unethical or avoiding a crucial situation, they would be deemed as unreliable and irresponsible by the public – traits that are disliked by the public in a position of power. A notable example would be Canadian politicians caught traveling over the holidays during the pandemic. Especially when travelling restrictions were in place and many officials were posting on social media to avoid traveling. Upon discovering that politicians were traveling during this time, they faced heavy backlash from the public, some forced to resign from their positions.

On the other hand, the benefits of engaging with a public audience include receiving feedback from the public and having public influence. Using the same example of politicians during the pandemic, policies and announcements were sometimes adjusted according to the public opinion and with politicians and the regular updates by the Prime Minister, the public were more compliant to COVID social restrictions. Especially when Bonnie Henry, a Canadian physician and provincial health officer of BC spoke about the pandemic and how to control it. This greatly helped in controlling the pandemic.

Consider how to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer social media policy?

I think all feedback, whether they agree or disagree with your own values should be taken into consideration. Consider why are there negative replies and critiques – consider the opposing side’s opinions and perspective. In the case that you still hold strong to your values, I think the best way to address it is to acknowledge the opinion, thank them for it, but then hold your stance and tell them why you have these values. Sometimes, if your own personal values are not in line with the employer social media policy, I would say to consider an alternative organization to join – mainly because it means that your personal values are not in line with the organization’s and vice versa. Hence, not only world perspective be a possible issue that may arise in the work place, but this may also cause future issues when making decisions and during discussions in the workplace.

Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?

I think conflict occurs in open dialogues about media literacy and factual information because sometimes, the source of the content is subjective to the write. What the writer may think is unbiased may include unintentional biases and be primed with biased words. At a young age, we are taught at school to be aware of biases in the media and learn to distinguish it – decide what is biased and unbiased. However, because media literacy is written by a human being, like mentioned previously, it incorporates a portion of opinion into it, regardless of it is backed up by statistics and facts. Furthermore, the case of confirmation bias may also occur. Although there is proven statistics on one topic, the media literacy may not have included factual information on the opposing side.  Hence, this may spark conflict when another party has contradicting information about the same topic.

What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

Media literacy encourages individuals to question, critically evaluate and understand the content. It also encourages individuals to share media sources responsibly. The benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy is that the PLN will not only have reliable sources with real and valid information, when there are additional entities that are open and critically comment on it, it helps to stimulate our critical thinking on the topic, which turns learning not only more engaging but also more interested.

References

Miller. (2021). EDCI 338 – MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH . Youtube. Retrieved from (46) EDCI 338 – MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH – YouTube

Miller (2021). Jody Vance – Media Voices . Youtube. Retrieved from (46) Jody Vance – Media Voices – YouTube

How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?

In this general, social media has become a relatively innovative tool for communication. Through social media, when sending a message, whether its an opinion or a statement, it will be seen by many people – anyone who has internet to be precise. Social media contributes to increased engagement, promoting social change and foster interpersonal connections and relationships. However, similarly, when there are more than one entity in existence, the possibility of disagreement and backlash will exist. Or in other words, one size does not fit all. In Moore’s literature on unity through diversity and inclusion, in this interconnected world, diversity and inclusion help to create “one” community. We must understand that in the current world around us, we are already like a melting pot and it is a concept we must grasp and embrace, or being “one without the other” (Moore, 2016). Thus, going back to the original question “how does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?”, when there are entities with different beliefs and values, there will be varying and possibly controversial opinions. However, this exposure to varying opinions can be a good thing. It shows the audience that there are more than one perspective to one issue and can give them more to consider when creating an view of it.

How diverse is your existing PLN?

In my opinion, my existing PLN is very diverse. In regards to social media, I use many different kinds of social media tools, some ranging from professional to personal purposes. For example, professional social media tools may include my workplace Skype and Microsoft teams as well as LinkedIn, whereas the more personal ones include Instagram and Facebook. Furthermore, in regards to the people in my PLN, they also vary from my coworkers, schoolmates, friends and family, and professionals.

In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices?

In my existing PLN, I think I am learning from a variety of voices. They come from posts on Instagram, videos on Youtube, my coworkers, close friends, to name a few. I think even when I am not purposefully learning, I am still learning. Even through a simple question I ask at work, a casual conversion with my girlfriend, are learning opportunities – because I acquire new information with each interaction that occurs. I think most of my learning comes from these small conversations. I think by interacting and actively listening to others, you think more about what they are saying and sometimes to continue the conversation, you think about the remarks or questions to ask them to keep both parties enagaged.

How does social media engage in advocacy communications?

Social media engages in advocacy communications through spreading information or message about a cause and reinforcing relationships. Through social media, it rapidly increases the speed and distance of the message to others around the world easily – digital word-of-mouth. A common tool for advocacy in social media is the hashtag. Through hash-tagging, it immediately directs the user to that specific topic or keyword where users are able to find relevant content faster and easier. Through these hashtags, there are often many varying opinions on the topic, sometimes controversial, sometimes aggressive, or sometimes even defensive.

References

Moore, S., & Schnellert, L. (2017). Introduction & Part 1: What Is Inclusion? Debunking the Myths. In One without the other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion (pp. 6-12). Winnipeg, Manitoba: Portage & Main Press

Moore, S. (2018). The Evolution of Inclusion: The Past and Future of Education. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQgXBhPh5Zo&feature=youtu.be

I remember when I was in high school, my teachers constantly stressed the importance of being careful of what we post on Facebook because those were the content that our future employers may look at when hiring us as prospective employees. However, in 2021, the most used digital platform students are currently using to develop their professional network is LinkedIn. A ‘professional’ version of Facebook. On LinkedIn, individuals are able to share professional, inspirational, career-related posts as well as share their professional and academic experiences and skillsets, similar to that of a resume. Regardless, there is still the possibility that employers will still check a candidate’s Facebook or Instagram, but still, the emphasis is still on LinkedIn as a form of professional network development.

In terms of a professional learning network, I think Linkedin is the best platform to invest time and effort in, users are able to customize not only the blog page but also the content. And through each small detail, its content, the organization, topics written, the writing styles, it can show the readers, and prospective employers what type of person the writer is and what they like/are passionate about. Furthermore, not only can user share their experience and share content of their choice, there are also MOOCs that users can learn from and receive certificates that they can share on their LinkedIn profiles.

As a student, where professional experience may still be lacking a bit, it is important to develop one’s credibility and impression of themselves on the internet. Prospective employers know this. Since a student does not have sufficient professional experience, they can hire dependent on the guesses on what the candidate can bring to the table, such as a willingness to learn, diligence, writing skills, and their values. These factors can be assumed through one’s professional learning network – who they connect with (ex. are they networking to further their careers), how clean their profile is (exemplifying organization), etc. Thus, dependent on the content that is posted, each post can build on one’s digital identity and reputation.

I think in terms of my current Linkedin profile, although it has my professional experience on their an dis regularly updated, it still lacks creative content which can further show what type of person I am. However, going back to the professional experience, I think through that, employers are able to see that I am a hard and diligent worker in the workplace.

• What does it mean to network using social media?

Due to the rapid increase of social media tools, people have never been more than connected to each other. Social media platforms enable us to connect easily and efficiently with a high level of mobility. Not only has it allowed people to stay connected without losing contact of existing connections but also establish new connections. Because of social media, we, as users, can share memorable and impactful events in our lives with others, and also see what’s going on in our friends’ and colleagues’ lives constantly.  Before, our ‘network’ only consisted of our friends, classmates, colleagues, etc. that we meet face-to-face. Now, we are able to connect with people from all over the world, across the city, or even on the other side of our home walls. Additionally , it helps us to build our personal brands and digital footprint. As sharing content is immediate and efficient, we can choose how we want to be seen virtually.

• How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

Socializing is an aspect of human nature. Our society is built on a network foundation. Many of us are naturally motivated to participate in networked publics. My own personal and recent experiences of motivation to participate in networked publics include virtual career information sessions and meeting with industry professionals about my career. This exemplifies examples of the types of motivation in networked publics – information retrieval and expanding my network. On the other hand, on a more personal level, I use networked publics such as Instagram and Facebook due to the ability to stay in touch and communicate with my friends. And I think the motivations are similar for many people as well.

• What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

We live in a society embedded with technology, and when technology elaborates with social networking with a purpose for many good causes, there are always cases of the misusage of its existence. In general, networking via social media can be beneficial or harmful. From time to time, some of us like to share and express themselves through public communications. Everything that we do virtually is considered public communication – what we post, comment or even like. However, there are downsides to this freedom. Sometimes, although it is a method to express ourselves, sometimes the information that we publicly communicate may negatively impact ourselves. For example, throughout grade school, we are constantly reminded not to post inappropriate posts of ourselves such as drinking, doing drugs, bashing, etc. Because, one day, our potential employers may see it. However, in my opinion, by using public communication skillfully, one can reap its benefits. It can help to someone reinvent themselves or even create a positive personal brand in the case that they may need it one day in career hunting.

Hi all,

Before I introduce myself, I’d like to first apologize for the late post as it took a few days for me to get the email to activate my account.

Anyways, having said that, time for my introduction. My name is Roy Yang. I am currently a fourth-year economics student at Uvic in my last semester of University (finally!). I an from Beijing, China, but also am a proud Vancouverite. I currently work fulltime as a personal banker. I have a cat named Damien. This is also my first time making a blog and one of my last courses before graduating. I hope I can learn a lot and maybe even make a few friends (despite the pandemic) from this course.

Thanks for reading my introduction.

Roy Yang